Chapter 1

At the dinner table, in front of everyone, Mom was still spouting nonsense.

"No offense, Yvonne, but landing a husband like Louis Hartson is a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. Instead of being grateful, there you are, running around and fooling about behind his back.

"Who do you think you are? Some kind of social butterfly? A heartthrob? When Louis dumps you, don't come crying back to me!"

I was so furious that my head spun. "Don't make such accusations without proof. What makes you think I've been fooling around?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "Louis hasn't had a single illness this past year," she replied offhandedly. "You, on the other hand, are down with the flu one day, then hives the next. If you haven't been fooling around God knows where, then where did all these illnesses come from?"

I stared at her calmly, finally understanding how her twisted logic worked.

All of this stemmed from when I'd caught the flu for the first time.

Lately, I had indeed gotten sick quite a lot.

With the end-of-year financial audits piling up, I'd been working overtime constantly and not eating regularly. As a result, my immune system bore the brunt of my poor habits.

Still, I thought it was all worth it. I'd managed to hit all my targets and delivered flawless data by the end of the year. My colleagues agreed that I, Yvonne Lawson, had the best shot at a promotion the following year.

Never, however, did I expect my efforts would become ammunition for my own mother to tear me down.

Noticing the questioning looks of my in-laws, Dad smiled and said, "Alright, she was just joking. Don't take what she said to heart."

Dad had always felt Mom endured a lot while supporting his business ventures. As such, no matter how unreasonable she was, he would tolerate her without question.

Because of his tolerance toward her, Mom grew increasingly outrageous.

When everyone's expressions returned neutral, Mom turned back to my husband, Louis, and said, "Starting tomorrow, I'm moving in with you to keep an eye on Yvonne. I'll make sure she doesn't try anything funny."

Louis waved her off awkwardly. "That won't be necessary, Mom. Yvonne's fine. She wouldn't do anything of that sort."

Mom grabbed Louis' arm and glared at him. "You can't be that spineless of a man! If she does anything to betray you, I'll personally make sure she's punished adequately!

"If you can't bring yourself to hit or scold her, I swear I will. I'll straighten her out, don't you worry."

Looking at her absolute conviction, I suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

Was all this really coming from a mother?

Most mothers wanted the best for their daughters. Even when conflict arose between the young couple, they would always stand by their children no matter what.

Mom, on the other hand, seemed intent on pinning the blame squarely on me. She was even volunteering to discipline me on my husband's behalf.

After dinner, she remained chatting endlessly with Louis and my in-laws.

As I watched the grim expressions on my in-laws' faces and Louis' evasive gaze, I suddenly realized I'd truly had enough of Mom.

…

For some reason, Mom always found it entertaining to spread rumors about me and belittle me in front of others.

When I was a child, she'd accused me of stealing. Then, later on, at my college graduation, she fabricated stories of me having an affair with one of my professors on the spot.

I barely had any friends growing up. Everyone avoided me like the plague.

Every time I caught Mom in one of her lies, she would show no remorse. She claimed she was only joking, and that she didn't know everyone else would take what she said so seriously.

Whether she truly meant it as a joke or not, I knew one thing for certain. Nothing good ever came out of her mouth.

After dating Louis in secret for a year and a half, I finally decided to bring him home to my parents.

Fearing Mom would say something damaging about me again, I spent the entire drive home with sweat on my palms.